Ephemeral
by xxkoffeexx
Summary: There were the Fuji brothers. And then there was Fuji Yumiko. [A memory]


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Ephemeral

_By xxkoffeexx_

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**Ephem****er****al** (adjective)

1: lasting one day only (an _ephemeral_ fever) 2: lasting a very short time (_ephemeral_ pleasures)

I thought _this_ definition fit the title better than the noun function of the word…

**Ephemeral **(noun)

Something ephemeral; specifically: a plant that grows, flowers, and dies in a few days

Er. Let's just go with the adjective form of the word, yeah? Though both functions _can_ be used.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

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She was always there, whether he knew it or not. She was always in the background, watching over them, or smiling with them, and he never really noticed it until _that_ day. He wondered how he could have missed it.

Saeki remembered playing with Fuji Syusuke when they were kids, back before middle school, back before Seigaku, back even before tennis. They were good friends, always hanging out together during and after school, watching the tennis players through the chain-linked fences and both wishing to play on that green court someday. He frequently went over to the Fujis' house, as did they to his. Fuji Yuuta would join them, more often than not.

He remembered the Fuji brothers, because they were his friends and he was theirs. But he never really thought about her.

_Fuji Yumiko_.

It was the day that Syusuke and he were walking home from elementary school and met the bullies who had harassed Yuuta the other week. He helped Syusuke fight them, of course, but it was a tough fight, and both sides went home with a fair amount of injuries.

"It's okay," Syusuke told his younger brother when Yuuta caught up to them, breathing hard both from the long run and to keep back frustrated tears. "It's okay," he repeated, and smiled.

They went to the Fujis' house, because school had let out early that day and Saeki's parents weren't home yet. The Fuji brothers' parents weren't home either, but their sister was.

Saeki hadn't really paid much attention to the older sister, since she was always away at school or working at her part time job for him to see her often. But the few times she was at home, she would offer to fix them a snack, or when she'd meet them on the road, offer them a ride. She was kind, gentle, and pretty. He liked her well enough, but that was as far as it went.

They entered the house. When she saw them, and took in their bruises and scratches, she didn't freak out, like he expected her to. Instead, she asked them if they were hurt too badly or if they needed to go to the hospital, at the same time leading them towards the living room and sitting them down on the plush sofas.

"I'll just get the first aid kit. Yuuta, go wash up and do your homework," she said, immediately taking charge and with a smile not unlike Syusuke's. Yuuta nodded, after glancing back worriedly at his brother, and went quietly upstairs. Saeki wondered at the authority the sweet-spoken sister held over her brothers, for Yuuta to obey her without the usual qualms he showed towards his teachers.

She looked over their wounds, mostly scratches that needed antibiotics or small bandages, and patched them up efficiently. She talked all the while, soothingly, and it made them feel calm. "So," she said after putting the last bandage on Syusuke's scraped knee. "Are you going to tell me the story, or should I guess?"

Syusuke gave her a smile. "It's not really a story, Nee-san. We just ran into a couple bullies and fought them. Any boy our age would have done it." Saeki also wondered at his friend's audacity, not knowing whether to admire or pity him for it. At any rate, it looked like Yumiko would forgive him.

She didn't. Something lit up in her eyes and she said, "Oh?" In a flash, with reflex that was quick even for Saeki's remarkable vision, she squeezed her brother's smiling cheek between her thumb and fingers. She was smiling dangerously, and it was so like Syusuke's that Saeki knew immediately why Yumiko held such authority over her brothers. Both Syusuke and Yuuta combined was no match against their sister.

"Did I raise you to fight just because all the other boys do, Syusuke? You know you shouldn't fight unless it absolutely can't be helped. I thought you knew by now how much more important your own values are than other people's. And where did you learn to speak like that?"

"I'm sorry, Nee-san. Ow."

Suddenly she turned on Saeki, and he blinked when she said, "You too, Saeki-kun." She made a move to grab him in the same way she'd grabbed his friend, and impulsively he raised an arm to shield his cheek.

His sleeve slipped down and he heard them gasp. Syusuke's blue eyes were open, and Yumiko stared worriedly at his upper arm. He twisted it to see what was wrong and caught a glimpse of a long, jagged cut, which had fortunately stopped bleeding. To his nine-year old mind, it was pretty fascinating and slightly nauseating, but before he could examine it further, a firm hand took his elbow, carefully avoiding the bandage below it.

At the same time, Yuuta called from upstairs, and Yumiko ordered, "Go, Syusuke. Wash up while I take care of Saeki-kun."

Syusuke nodded, gave his friend an encouraging smile, and went up the stairs, answering his brother's call. It didn't occur to Saeki that it was only him and Yumiko alone in the room until she let go of his elbow.

"I'm going to clean it," she said, going into the kitchen and coming back with a small damp cloth. "I have to use alcohol, so it might sting," she warned him.

After she cleaned away the dirt and dried blood, she rummaged through the kit for the antibiotics and more bandages. "We don't have any gauze or bigger bandages," she apologized, carefully smearing the medicine on him. As she did, she asked pleasantly, "How are things? Are you and Syusuke going to play tennis together again?"

She remembered their first attempt to play tennis last weekend. Saeki nodded with a smile, "Yeah! We're playing next Saturday." She placed the first bandage on the bottom of the cut gently.

"That sounds fun. Where are you playing?"

"At the courts by the park. They're the closest." He watched as the second bandage covered the cut, and then glanced up at the young lady administrating it. He did a double-take, not expecting to see the genuine compassion and kindness showing plainly on her face, on the curve of her lips, in the depths of her eyes. It was pure concern for him, one that he would normally see on his mother's face.

"Maybe I'll come by to watch you guys," she remarked genuinely.

It made him feel incredibly warm inside.

After that, as she continued to talk to him, he stared at her openly, actually _looking_ at her for the first time. He realized with a shock that she was very beautiful, much more beautiful than his homeroom teacher (who he thought was the prettiest lady next to his mother). He wondered why he never noticed this before until now, when he was _this_ close to her. Close enough to smell the faint scent on her that reminded him of flowers, or shampoo.

"Saeki-kun? I'm all done."

He hurriedly opened his eyes, embarrassed to realize he had been falling asleep. His arm was patched up snuggly.

She was packing up the first aid kit and cleaning up the excess bandages. When she was done, she smiled at him, "Would you like some snacks?" He nodded. "Then will you call down Syusuke and Yuuta for me, please?"

He nodded again and hurried off, not wanting to speak for fear of stuttering and embarassing himself.

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When it was time to go home, Saeki waved goodbye to Syusuke and Yuuta. Yumiko offered him a ride, but he politely declined, just like his mother taught him. He didn't want to seem like a burden, especially to her.

As he walked out the door, she smiled and patted his head affectionately.

"You're cute, Saeki-kun. Be careful on your way home, okay?"

He blushed.

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"Why are you so red? What are you staring at? I want to know."

Itsuki's plaintive voice broke him out of his thoughts. Saeki jerked, realizing his cheeks were indeed warm, and shook himself out of the trance he was in. He glanced back to where he had caught a glimpse of a familiar, lovely brunette, triggering old memories.

His doubles partner repeated, "Who are you staring at?" There at the corner, he caught a glimpse of her again, and this time he was sure it was her.

"...An old friend," he answered with a smile. And it was true, that she was an old friend, because back then he was only a child, a young boy. It was fleeting, a passing and innocent crush of pre-adolescence, and it didn't really mean anything. He understood that so clearly now.

But, he thought, Fuji Yumiko was still very beautiful.

END

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A/N: I just kind of wrote this all at once without stopping. It was almost spur-of-the-moment, except I've had the idea stuck in my head for quite a while, and I thought, why not? Today there was supposed to be a wind storm and the light's been flickering, so I wanted to finish it and whatnot before anything happened. And this idea wouldn't leave me until I'd written it all out.

I hope this story idea was acceptable. Like the summary, I thought, if Saeki was such good friends with Syusuke, then he _must_ be familiar with Yumiko in some way. And since she's so pretty and he was only a pre-pubescent boy, then maybe… he thought… to her… just a little? By the way, I think she's nine years older than Syusuke. If she's not, then sorry for the mistake.

Does Saeki still like her? And in what way? Could love possibly be blooming? Or is the idea so completely balderdash that it should be scorned and laughed at? I have no idea, so please don't think this is an intended pairing or anything.

Thank you so much for taking time to read this. I hope it was worth your while.

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